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Boulder City is only 30 miles away from Las Vegas and many dam workers took advantage of this proximity.
When not working, men and women piled into cars and made their way to Las Vegas on the dusty and bumpy Boulder Highway.
Las Vegas offered all the things available in Boulder City plus much more. Although still a small desert outpost, Las Vegas
not only provided the essentials for living such as clothes and groceries, but plenty of entertainment. During the first years
of the dam construction, prohibition was in full swing throughout America, making the sale and consumption of alcohol illegal.
This was widely ignored, however, in Las Vegas and its surrounding areas.
The first stop outside of the dam reservation was Railroad Pass, a casino that catered specifically to dam workers. Like many other entertainment establishments, liquor, gambling, music, dancing and prostitutes were the main attractions at Railroad Pass. Designed to fit limited paychecks, entertainment at Railroad pass was very affordable. If Railroad Pass didn’t provide all the diversion men were looking for, they could always go to Las Vegas. Two entire blocks were reserved for prostitution – Block 17 for black customers and Block 16 for white. For some, especially the dam workers living in Las Vegas, the temptations proved too much. “I could drink one of those home-brewed beers, and I could sleep for the rest of the day, it seemed like to me. But finally you got two, three, and four and things weren’t going so good. So I decided then I had better move to Boulder City.” Richard "Curley"Francis. |
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